Methods and apparatus for forming a high dielectric film and the dielectric film formed thereby

ABSTRACT

A method of forming a high dielectric oxide film conventionally formed using a post formation oxygen anneal to reduce the leakage current of such film includes forming a high dielectric oxide film on a surface. The high dielectric oxide film has a dielectric constant greater than about 4 and includes a plurality of oxygen vacancies present during the formation of the film. The high dielectric oxide film is exposed during the formation thereof to an amount of atomic oxygen sufficient for reducing the number of oxygen vacancies and eliminating the post formation oxygen anneal of the high dielectric oxide film. Further, the amount of atomic oxygen used in the formation method may be controlled as a function of the amount of oxygen incorporated into the high dielectric oxide film during the formation thereof or be controlled as a function of the concentration of atomic oxygen in a process chamber in which the high dielectric oxide film is being formed. An apparatus for forming the high dielectric oxide film is also described.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention pertains to high dielectric constant films.More particularly, the present invention relates to methods andapparatus for forming high dielectric constant films utilizing theincorporation of atomic oxygen during the formation of such films.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Various dielectric films have been formed in the past during thefabrication of semiconductor devices. For example, films such as silicondioxide and silicon nitride have been used for dielectric films in theformation of capacitors, such as for memory devices, including dynamicrandom access memories and static random access memories. Such filmstypically have small leakage currents associated therewith.

[0003] With the shrinkage of minimum feature sizes of semiconductordevices, the requirement of providing high capacitance with thinnerfilms is becoming apparent. As the dielectric constant of silicondioxide and silicon nitride are relatively low, the need for utilizinghigher dielectric constant films, such as tantalum pentoxide (Ta₂O₅),strontium titanate oxide (SrTiO₃), and barium strontium titanate(Ba_(x)Sr_(1-x)TiO₃) arises. Such high dielectric films provide theability to achieve a larger capacitance value in a smaller area, i.e.,with a thinner dielectric film.

[0004] However, conventional deposition processes for forming such highdielectric constant films result in films having leakage current levelsthat are unacceptable for semiconductor devices being fabricated. Asdescribed in the article entitled, “Leakage Current Mechanisms ofAmorphous and Polycrystalline Ta₂O₅ Films Grown by Chemical VaporDeposition,” by Aoyama et al., J. Electrochem. Soc., Vol. 143, No. 3,March 1996, various treatments have been carried out after Ta₂O₅ filmdeposition to reduce the leakage current thereof. For example, suchtreatments described included dry O₂ treatment, dry O₃ treatment, O₂treatment with utilization of ultraviolet exposure, O₃ treatment withuse of ultraviolet exposure, and N₂O plasma treatment. The results fromthe paper indicate that the presence of impurities, such as carbon andhydrogen, remaining in the Ta₂O₅ film leads to generally high leakagecurrent and that oxidation of such impurities results in the reductionof the leakage current. However, post-deposition oxidation of suchimpurities results in a fabrication step generally not applicable toother dielectric films such as silicon dioxide and silicon nitride. Suchpost-deposition oxidation of high dielectric films, hereinafter referredto generally as post-deposition oxygen anneal, in addition to reducingthroughput of devices also increases the thermal budget for fabricationof the devices.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need in the art for high dielectric oxidefilm formation methods and apparatus for forming high dielectric films,reducing throughput of devices by eliminating steps in the depositionprocess. The present invention provides such methods and apparatus forovercoming the problems as described above and other problems that willbe readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the description ofthe present invention below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] A method of forming a high dielectric oxide film conventionallyformed using a post-formation oxygen anneal to reduce the leakagecurrent of such film is described. The method in accordance with thepresent invention includes forming a high dielectric oxide film on asurface. The high dielectric oxide film has a dielectric constantgreater than about 4. The high dielectric oxide film includes aplurality of oxygen vacancies as the film is formed. The high dielectricoxide film is exposed to an amount of atomic oxygen during formationthereof sufficient for reducing the number of oxygen vacancies andeliminating the post-formation oxygen anneal of the formed highdielectric oxide film.

[0007] In one embodiment of the method, the amount of atomic oxygen towhich the high dielectric oxide film is exposed during formation thereofis controlled as a function of the amount of oxygen incorporated intothe high dielectric oxide film. In another embodiment of the method, theamount of atomic oxygen is controlled as a function of the concentrationof atomic oxygen in a process chamber used for formation of the highdielectric oxide film.

[0008] In other embodiments of the method, the atomic oxygen is providedby at least one of O₃, NO, and N₂O. Further, the atomic oxygen may beprovided by generation of a plasma from at least one of O₃, NO, N₂O, orO₂. Ionized atomic oxygen generated by the plasma may be attracted tothe surface for incorporation in the high dielectric oxide film bybiasing the surface. Further, the plasma may be generated remotely ofthe surface upon which the high dielectric film is formed or inproximity to the surface.

[0009] In other embodiments of the method, the high dielectric film mayinclude Ta₂O₅, Ba_(x)Sr_(1-x)TiO₃, Y₂O₃, TiO₂, HfO₂, PZT, PLZT, or SBT.Further, the atomic oxygen utilized for exposing the high dielectricoxide film may be exposed to a heat source.

[0010] In another method of forming a dielectric film in the fabricationof semiconductor devices, an amount of atomic oxygen for use in theformation of the film on a surface is provided. The high dielectricoxide film has a dielectric constant greater than about 4. A vaporizedprecursor is also provided for use in the formation of the film. Thehigh dielectric oxide film is then formed using the atomic oxygen andthe vaporized precursor. The amount of atomic oxygen is controlled as afunction of the amount of atomic oxygen necessary to reduce the leakagecurrent levels to below a predetermined level.

[0011] In another method of forming a dielectric film in the fabricationof semiconductor devices, atomic oxygen is provided for use in theformation of a Ta₂O₅ film on a surface. A vaporized tantalum precursoris also provided for forming the film. The Ta₂O₅ film is formed usingthe atomic oxygen and the vaporized tantalum precursor whilesimultaneously performing an in situ oxygen anneal of the film. In oneembodiment of this method, the precursor is a carbon-free solidprecursor.

[0012] An apparatus for forming a high dielectric oxide film inaccordance with the present invention is also described. The apparatusincludes a controllable atomic oxygen source and a vaporized precursorsource. A deposition chamber for receiving the atomic oxygen from theatomic oxygen source and vaporized precursor from the vaporizedprecursor source is utilized for locating a structure therein fordeposition of the high dielectric oxide film on a surface thereof. Thehigh dielectric oxide film has a dielectric constant greater than about4. The apparatus further includes a detection mechanism for detecting acharacteristic of the deposition of the high dielectric oxide film onthe surface of the structure. The controllable atomic oxygen source iscontrolled as a function of the detected characteristic.

[0013] Further, in accordance with the present invention, a highdielectric oxide film is provided. The high dielectric oxide filmincludes one of Ta₂O₅, Ba_(x)Sr_(1-x)TiO₃,Y₂O₃, TiO₂, HfO₂, PZT, PLZT,and SBT. The dielectric film is formed by depositing the high dielectricoxide film on a surface while exposing the high dielectric oxide filmduring formation thereof to a concentration of atomic oxygen sufficientfor reducing oxygen vacancies therein and sufficient to eliminate apost-formation oxygen anneal of the high dielectric oxide film. In oneembodiment of the high dielectric oxide film, the film is deposited onan electrode of a capacitor in a semiconductor memory device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014]FIG. 1 is a general illustration of a portion of a devicestructure including a high dielectric oxide film formed in accordancewith the present invention.

[0015]FIG. 2 is a block illustration of an apparatus for use indepositing high dielectric oxide films in accordance with the presentinvention.

[0016]FIG. 3 is a block illustration of an alternate configuration ofthe apparatus of FIG. 2 in accordance with the present invention.

[0017]FIG. 4 is a block illustration of an alternate configuration ofthe apparatus of FIG. 2 in accordance with the present invention.

[0018]FIG. 5 is an alternate configuration of the apparatus as shown inFIG. 2, further including a detection and control mechanism inaccordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0019] The present invention shall be described with reference to FIGS.1 and 2. Thereafter, additional embodiments of the present inventionshall be further described with reference to FIGS. 3-5.

[0020]FIG. 1 is an illustration of a portion 10 of a device structure,such as a portion of a capacitor, gate dielectric, or other devicestructure, which includes a high dielectric film 14. For example, thedevice structure may be a portion of a memory device, such as a dynamicrandom access memory. As shown in FIG. 1, the portion 10 includes alayer or film 12 of the device structure 10 having a surface 16. Thelayer or film 12 can be any material utilized in the fabrication ofsemiconductor devices. For example, if the device structure is a randomaccess memory and the portion 10 is part of a capacitor, the layer 12 isan electrode. Such an electrode may be either a smooth or a ruggedelectrode and, further, the electrode may be of any conducting material,such as a metal, a semiconductor, a semi-metal, or any combinationthereof, i.e., a stack containing one or more such electrode materials.For example, Ta₂O₅ deposition using a TaF₅ precursor may be formed onpolysilicon, crystalline silicon, hemispherical grain polysilicon,germanium, or silicon-germanium, WSi_(x), or TiN. Such electrodes may betreated by rapid thermal anneal in an oxygen and/or nitrogen atmosphere.After formation of the high dielectric film, a top electrode is formedas part of the capacitor as known to one skilled in the art. Further,for example, if the portion 10 of the device structure is representativeof a gate region, the layer or film 12 may be representative of asemiconductor substrate, such as silicon. Semiconductor substrate refersto the base semiconductor layer, e.g., the lowest layer of siliconmaterial on a wafer or a silicon layer deposited on another materialsuch as silicon on sapphire. The term “semiconductor substrate assembly”refers to a part of a device structure including a semiconductorsubstrate having one or more layers, films or structures formed thereon.

[0021] The portion 10 of the device structure further includes a highdielectric oxide film 14 formed on surface 16 of the layer or film 12 inaccordance with the present invention. The high dielectric oxide film 14may include any film having a dielectric constant (∈) greater than about4. For example, the high dielectric oxide film 14 may be Ta₂O₅,Ba_(x)Sr_(1-x)TiO₃, SrTiO₃, Y₂O₃, TiO₂, HfO₂, PZT (lead zirconatetitanate), PLZT (lanthanum-doped lead zirconate titanate), SBT(strontium bismuth titanate), BST (barium strontium titanate), or anyother high dielectric oxide film formed with a low oxygen content suchthat oxygen vacancies therein are present when such films are formedutilizing conventional formation methods. For example, such conventionalformation methods include high dielectric formation methods using O₂ asa source gas and many of which require post-deposition anneals in anoxygen ambient in order to eliminate or reduce these vacancies. Suchoxygen vacancies using current deposition methods result in higher thannormal leakage current levels for such high dielectric oxide films. Forexample, such oxygen vacancies are a result of the impurities carbon andhydrogen remaining in the film after deposition thereof.

[0022] The high dielectric oxide film 14 formed in accordance with thepresent invention eliminates the oxygen vacancies during the formationof the high dielectric oxide film 14. In other words, the film 14undergoes an in situ oxygen anneal simultaneously with the formation ofthe film. Atomic oxygen is utilized during formation of the highdielectric oxide film to fill the oxygen vacancies as the film isformed. Such elimination of the oxygen vacancies produces a highdielectric oxide film which is more stoichiometric and impurity-free andtherefore has lower leakage current levels. Excess atomic oxygen isincorporated into the high dielectric oxide film during formationthereof through the use of atomic oxygen containing sources such as O₃,N₂O, NO, as well as atomic oxygen provided in other manners as describedbelow. The atomic oxygen is incorporated into the film in aconcentration sufficient to eliminate the need for post-formation oxygenanneals, as typically required in conventional deposition of such highdielectric oxide films. By eliminating or reducing the need forpost-formation oxygen anneals through the use of an in situ oxygenanneal in accordance with the present invention, throughput is increasedand a reduced thermal budget is achieved.

[0023] In addition, the high dielectric oxide film 14 may be part of astack of other dielectric films, i.e., a stack of one or more of Ta₂O₅,TiO₂, or Si₃N₄. In such a configuration, an anneal of all the layers maystill be necessary to reduce the leakage current depending upon thefilms utilized in such a stack.

[0024] Although the present invention is particularly described withrespect to the formation of a Ta₂O₅ high dielectric oxide film, otherhigh dielectric constant oxide films have similar leakage current levelproblems. The present invention is therefore beneficial not only for theTa₂O₅ film, but for any other such high dielectric oxide film havingoxygen vacancies or low oxygen content when formed in conventionalmanners. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the Ta₂O₅film but is limited only in accordance with the present invention asdescribed in the accompanying claims.

[0025] The method of forming the high dielectric oxide film 14 inaccordance with the present invention shall be described with referenceto the apparatus 20 shown in FIG. 2. Apparatus 20 includes processchamber 22 and a device structure 15 located therein on device structureholder 17. The process chamber 22 further includes vacuum pump 24 forevacuating the chamber and a heat source 26, such as an ultraviolet (UV)or microwave radiation source directed into the process chamber 22 foruse in providing atomic oxygen using ozone, i.e., for example, UV ozonetreatment. The process chamber 22 may be any conventional chamberutilized for the formation of films in the fabrication of semiconductordevices. For example, the process chamber 22 is representative ofvarious CVD process chambers including, but not limited to, hot wall orcold wall reactors, atmospheric or reduced pressure reactors, as well asplasma enhanced reactors. Therefore, the present invention contemplatesdeposition of the films in accordance with the present inventionutilizing low pressure CVD (LPCVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD),plasma enhanced CVD (PECVD), and reduced thermal CVD (RTCVD). Further,the present invention may be applicable or used with other sputteringprocesses for forming high dielectric oxide films.

[0026] Apparatus 20 for depositing the high dielectric oxide film 14further includes controllable atomic oxygen source 27 and controllablevaporized precursor source 29. Controllable atomic oxygen source 27includes atomic oxygen source 28 and a mass flow controller 32. The massflow controller 32 may be any commercially available flow controllerutilized for controlling a gas flow. The mass flow controller 32controls the flow of atomic oxygen from atomic oxygen source 28 via gasline 40 into the process chamber 22. Atomic oxygen source 28 may includeany atomic oxygen containing source, such as O₃, N₂O, NO, or anycombination thereof.

[0027] The controllable vaporized precursor source 29, at least in theembodiment shown in FIG. 2, includes carrier gas source 30, mass flowcontroller 34, and precursor source 36. The mass flow controller 34,which may be any flow controller for controlling gas flow, is utilizedto control the flow of an inert gas such as, for example, Ar, N₂, He,H₂, N₂O, NO, provided from carrier gas source 30. The carrier gasutilized is used to generate and/or move vaporized precursor fromprecursor source 36 through gas line 42 into the process chamber 22.

[0028] Although the controlled vaporized precursor source 29 is shown toinclude carrier gas source 30, mass flow controller 34, and precursorsource 36, the controllable vaporized precursor source 29 may be of anyconfiguration suitable for providing one or more vaporized precursorsfor formation of the desired high dielectric oxide film into processchamber 22. For example, the controlled vaporized precursor source 29may include a liquid source or a solid source vaporized in anyparticular manner including, but in no manner limited to, solidsublimation, bubbler delivery, flash vaporization of solid particles ormicrodroplets.

[0029] For example, solid precursors utilized may include TaF₅, TaCl₅,or other tantalum halides for depositing Ta₂O₅. Other nonorganic solidprecursors are also available for forming BST, PZT, PLZT, etc. Liquidprecursors utilized may include Ta(OC₂H₅)₅ or any other organometallicliquids containing tantalum for forming Ta₂O₅. However, any vaporizedprecursor suitable for use in forming the desired high dielectric film14 in process chamber 22 may be utilized.

[0030] In accordance with the present invention, the controllable atomicoxygen source 27 provides an excess of atomic oxygen during formation ofthe high dielectric oxide film typically having oxygen vacancies andhigher leakage current levels. As such, the high dielectric oxide film14 is then formed with oxygen vacancies being filled as the highdielectric oxide film 14 is formed. The concentration or amount ofatomic oxygen necessary in the process chamber 22 depends upon the typeof high dielectric film 14 being formed.

[0031] One skilled in the art will recognize that the deposition processmay be performed in either single wafer or batch type systems. Further,it should be apparent that the deposition process may be clustered withan in situ preclean and/or a post deposition conditioning chamber, i.e.,for example, ultraviolet ozone conditioning, O₃ plasma conditioning, dryoxidation in O₂, O₃, N₂O, or NO conditioning.

[0032] As one illustrative embodiment of the present invention, theapparatus 20 may be similar to the cold wall type LPCVD apparatus asdescribed in the article entitled, “Leakage Current Mechanisms ofAmorphous and Polycrystalline Ta₂O₅ Films Grown by Chemical VaporDeposition,” by Aoyama et al., J. Electrochem. Soc., Vol. 143, No. 3,March 1996 which is incorporated in its entirety herein by referencethereto. The controllable atomic oxygen source 27 may include any of theoxygen containing species described above or any combination thereof.The controllable vaporized precursor source 29 may, for example, in thedeposition of a Ta₂O₅ film include a liquid precursor source 36 ofTa(OC₂H₅)₅ with the mass flow controller 34 controlling an argon carriergas for bubbling through the liquid precursor source 36 providing avaporized precursor or reactant gas for deposition of Ta₂O₅ utilizingthe process chamber 22. For example, argon gas is introduced into theTa(OC₂H₅)₅ liquid maintained at about 160° C. The atomic oxygen and theTa(OC₂H₅)₅ with argon carrier are then introduced simultaneously intothe reaction chamber through gas lines which are heated to 180° C. Inthe cold wall chamber, the substrate is heated to, for example, 400° C.and the film formed may be amorphous, crystalline, or polycrystallinedepending upon other parameters of the deposition apparatus. Forexample, temperature and pressure changes may produce an amorphous filmas opposed to a partially crystalline or crystalline film. The presentinvention is in no manner limited to any particular structuralconfiguration for the film, such as amorphous or polycrystalline, but islimited only in accordance with the present claims. Further, variouspressures, temperatures, and other deposition process parameters may beutilized to generate the desired film in accordance with the presentinvention and the present invention is not limited to any particularprocess parameters.

[0033] Ta₂O₅ films are typically deposited by LPCVD or PECVD using anorganometallic precursor such as the Ta(OC₂H₅)₅ which has a fairly lowvapor pressure of about 200 mTorr at 85° C. The LPCVD process leads toextremely good step coverage and makes the process viable for memorycell dielectric formation. However, during this process a large amountof carbon is incorporated into the dielectric film. The carbon comesfrom the precursor and results in higher leakage currents for the filmsconventionally deposited. In situ incorporation of atomic oxygen duringthe formation of the dielectric film as described above reduces theleakage current. However, to further provide additional advantage bylowering the carbon level and still providing excellent step coverage,the combination of a solid carbon-free or nonorganic precursor, with insitu incorporation of atomic oxygen, is utilized as described below.

[0034] For example, in the deposition of Ta₂O₅, a LPCVD process can beperformed utilizing a solid carbon-free precursor such as TaF₅, TaCl₅,or other tantalum halides along with atomic oxygen incorporation asdescribed herein. The LPCVD process may be performed at a depositionpressure of about 25 mTorr to about 10 Torr and at a temperature ofabout 250° C. to about 700° C. The solid precursor can be vaporized andprovided to the deposition chamber in various manners, such as forexample, heating a TaF₅ solid source to greater than about 70° C. andthen transferring the vaporized precursor to the deposition chamberusing a carrier gas such as, for example, Ar, N₂, He, H₂, N₂O, or NO.The atomic oxygen, or oxygen source, can then be provided using O₃, N₂O,NO, O₂ or any combination thereof and in any manner described herein.

[0035]FIG. 3 is an alternate configuration of an apparatus 50 forforming the high dielectric oxide film 14 in accordance with the presentinvention. The apparatus 50 includes substantially the same elements orcomponents as the apparatus 20 described with reference to FIG. 2.However, the controlled atomic oxygen source 27 is replaced withcontrolled atomic oxygen source 51. The controlled atomic oxygen source51 includes an oxygen source 52, a mass flow controller 54, and anoxygen plasma generator 56. In this particular configuration, the atomicoxygen is provided to the process chamber from the oxygen plasmagenerator 56. The oxygen plasma generator 56 functions as an atomicoxygen source by generating a plasma from the oxygen containing source52. The oxygen plasma generator 56 may be remote from the processchamber 22 as shown in FIG. 3, or may be such as to provide a plasma inproximity to the device structure 15, i.e., in the process chamber withthe wafer.

[0036] Oxygen source 52 may include O₃, N₂O, NO, O₂ or any combinationthereof. The oxygen containing source 52 is provided to the oxygenplasma generator 56 by any commercially available mass flow controller54. For example, an oxygen plasma may be generated utilizing an O₂source provided to a 13.56 MHz RF generator at a pressure of 0.3 torr, atemperature of 400° C., and an RF power of 0.35 W/cm². It should bereadily apparent that the parameters for the oxygen plasma generator aredependent upon the oxygen containing source utilized and the amount ofatomic oxygen to be delivered to the process chamber. Various pressures,temperatures, power levels and generators may be utilized to generatethe oxygen plasma and the present invention is not limited to anyparticular configuration for generating the oxygen plasma.

[0037] Also shown in FIG. 3 is a power source 59 for biasing the devicestructure 15 on device structure holder 17. With bias applied to thedevice structure 15, ionized atomic oxygen generated by the plasmagenerator 56 is attracted thereto and oxygen vacancies in the highdielectric oxide film 14 are filled more quickly by the ionized atomicoxygen provided in the process chamber 22. For example, but in no mannerlimited to the present invention, the power source may be ±50 volts DC.

[0038] It would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that acombination of a plasma source 51 such as shown in FIG. 3 and an atomicoxygen source 29 such as shown in FIG. 2 may be used in combination toprovide the necessary atomic oxygen in the process chamber 22.

[0039] Another alternate configuration of an apparatus 60 for formingthe high dielectric oxide film 14 shall be described with reference toFIG. 4. FIG. 4 is substantially equivalent to the apparatus 20 as shownin FIG. 2. However, the apparatus 60 further includes a premixer unit 64such that the vaporized precursor and the atomic oxygen provided by thecontrolled atomic oxygen source 27 and the controlled vaporizedprecursor source 29 are premixed in the premixer unit 64 prior totransfer into the process chamber 22. In such a manner, the atomicoxygen may be more evenly distributed in the vaporized precursor suchthat a more efficient filling of the oxygen vacancies typicallycontained in the high dielectric oxide film 14 are filled. It should bereadily apparent that the premixer 64 may also be utilized with theatomic oxygen provided from the oxygen plasma generator 56 in thealternate configuration shown in FIG. 3.

[0040]FIG. 5 shows the apparatus 20 for forming the high dielectricoxide film 14 in accordance with the present invention and, in addition,a block illustration of a detection and control apparatus 90 formaintaining a desired atomic oxygen concentration in the processingchamber 22. The detection and control apparatus 90 includes a detectiondevice 92 and a controller 94.

[0041] The controller 94 may be any controller apparatus, such as aprocessing unit and software associated therewith, or a control logiccircuit for generating a command output to the controlled atomic oxygensource 27 for controlling the concentration of atomic oxygen inprocessing chamber 22. The command output to the controlled atomicoxygen source 27 is generated by the controller 94 in response to asignal generated by detection device 92 based on a characteristic of theformation process of the high dielectric oxide film 14. The controller94 is in no manner limited to any processor, any particular logic orsoftware, or any particular configuration but is limited only as definedin the accompanying claims.

[0042] Detection device 92 may be any apparatus for sensing a parameterof a high dielectric film formation process characteristic of thefilling of oxygen vacancies within the high dielectric oxide film 14being formed. For example, detection device 92 may be for detecting theconcentration of atomic oxygen in the processing chamber 22. Further,for example, the detection device 92 may be for detecting the amount ofoxygen incorporated in the high dielectric oxide film 14, and thusrepresentative of the number of vacancies within the film filled so asto reduce the leakage current of the film 14.

[0043] The detection and control apparatus 90, for example, may be anyapparatus for performing ellipsometry utilizing a light source directedat the surface of the device structure 15 and a detector for detectingthe reflected light therefrom. The reflected light is utilized todetermine the amount of oxygen incorporated in the high dielectric oxidefilm being formed. As a function of the detected reflective light, thecontroller 94 with the appropriate spectroscopic software can determinethe oxygen content and generate a command for control of, for example,the mass flow controller 32 in order to increase or decrease the atomicoxygen in the processing chamber 22.

[0044] Further, for example, the detection and control apparatus 90 mayinclude an apparatus for performing Raman spectroscopy which may beutilized to determine the amount of oxygen incorporated in the highdielectric oxide film 14 and further utilized to determine the structureof the film, i.e., whether the film is amorphous or crystalline. Withuse of the detected scattered light and the appropriate Ramanspectroscopy software, a command signal may be generated to control theatomic oxygen as previously described or, further, may be utilized tocontrol any other parameter of the apparatus 20 such that the structureof the film is controlled as oxygen vacancies in the film are filled.

[0045] In a further example, the concentration of the atomic oxygen inthe processing chamber may be detected as opposed to the oxygen in thehigh dielectric oxide film 14. For example, a commercially availableresidual gas analyzer may be utilized. Such an analyzer typicallyincludes a light source for generating light for impingement on thematerials in the process chamber 22. A detector of the analyzer may thendetect the scattered light and provide an output signal which can beanalyzed by the appropriate spectroscopic software to determine oxygenconcentration in the processing chamber 22. The controlled atomic oxygensource 27 may then be controlled as a function of the amount of atomicoxygen detected in the processing chamber 22.

[0046] It would be readily apparent to one skilled in the art thatdetection and control apparatus 90 may include any of the devicesdescribed above or a combination thereof. Further, other spectroscopicdetection devices or gas analysis devices typically utilized fordetecting concentrations and structures in films and in samplecontainers may be utilized in conjunction with the present invention.The present invention is not limited to those listed herein, but islimited only as described in the accompanying claims.

[0047] Although the present invention has been described with particularreference to various embodiments thereof, variations and modificationsof the present invention can be made within a contemplated scope of thefollowing claims, as is readily known to one skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of forming a high dielectric oxide filmconventionally formed using a post formation oxygen anneal to reduce theleakage current of such film, the method comprising the steps of:forming a high dielectric oxide film on a surface, the high dielectricoxide film having a dielectric constant greater than about 4 andincluding a plurality of oxygen vacancies during formation of the film;and exposing the high dielectric oxide film during formation to anamount of atomic oxygen sufficient for reducing the number of oxygenvacancies and eliminating the post formation oxygen anneal of the highdielectric oxide film.
 2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein theamount of atomic oxygen to which the high dielectric oxide film isexposed during formation thereof is controlled as a function of theamount of oxygen incorporated into the high dielectric oxide film duringthe formation thereof.
 3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein theamount of atomic oxygen to which the high dielectric oxide film isexposed during formation thereof is controlled as a function of theconcentration of atomic oxygen in a process chamber used for formationof the high dielectric oxide film.
 4. The method according to claim 1 ,wherein the atomic oxygen utilized for exposure is provided by at leastone of O₃, NO, and N₂O.
 5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein theatomic oxygen utilized for exposure is provided by generation of aplasma from at least one of O₃, NO, N₂O, and O₂.
 6. The method accordingto claim 5 , wherein the surface is biased for attracting ionized atomicoxygen of the plasma.
 7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein thegeneration of the plasma is performed remotely from the surface.
 8. Themethod according to claim 5 , wherein the generation of the plasma isperformed in proximity to the surface.
 9. The method according to 1,wherein the atomic oxygen is exposed to a heat source.
 10. The methodaccording to claim 1 , wherein the high dielectric film includes one ofTa₂O₅, Ba_(x)Sr_(1-x)TiO₃, Y₂O₃, TiO₂, HfO₂, PZT, PLZT, and SBT.
 11. Amethod of forming a dielectric film in the fabrication of semiconductordevices, the method comprising the steps of: providing an amount ofatomic oxygen for use in the formation of a high dielectric oxide filmon a surface, the high dielectric oxide film having a dielectricconstant greater than about 4; providing a vaporized precursor for usein the formation of the high dielectric oxide film; and forming the highdielectric oxide film using the atomic oxygen and the vaporizedprecursor, the amount of atomic oxygen being controlled as a function ofthe amount of atomic oxygen necessary to reduce the leakage currentlevels to below a predetermined level.
 12. The method according to claim11 , wherein the amount of atomic oxygen is controlled as a function ofthe amount of oxygen incorporated into the high dielectric oxide filmduring the formation thereof.
 13. The method according to claim 11 ,wherein the amount of atomic oxygen is controlled as a function of theamount of atomic oxygen in a deposition chamber used for formation ofthe high dielectric oxide film.
 14. The method according to claim 11 ,wherein the providing step includes providing atomic oxygen from anoxygen source including at least one of O₃, NO, and N₂O.
 15. The methodaccording to claim 11 , wherein the oxygen providing step includes:providing at least one of O₃, NO, N₂O, and O₂; and generating an oxygenplasma remote from the surface from the at least one of O₃, NO, N₂O, andO₂.
 16. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the oxygen providingstep includes: providing at least one of O₃, NO, N₂O, and O₂; andgenerating an oxygen plasma in proximity to the surface from the atleast one of O₃, NO, N₂O, and O₂.
 17. A method of forming a dielectricfilm in the fabrication of semiconductor devices, the method comprisingthe steps of: providing atomic oxygen for use in the formation of aTa₂O₅ film on a surface; providing a vaporized tantalum precursor foruse in the formation of the Ta₂O₅ film; and forming the Ta₂O₅ film usingthe atomic oxygen and the vaporized tantalum precursor whilesimultaneously performing an in situ oxygen anneal of the Ta₂O₅ film.18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the atomic oxygenproviding step includes providing an amount of atomic oxygen controlledas a function of the amount of oxygen incorporated into the Ta₂O₅ film.19. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the atomic oxygenproviding step includes providing an amount of atomic oxygen controlledas a function of an amount of atomic oxygen in a deposition chamber usedfor formation of the Ta₂O₅ film.
 20. The method according to claim 17 ,wherein the oxygen providing step includes providing the atomic oxygenusing a source of at least one of O₃, NO, and N₂O.
 21. The methodaccording to claim 17 , wherein the oxygen providing step includes:providing at least one of O₃, NO, N₂O, and O₂; and generating an oxygenplasma from the at least one of O₃, NO, N₂O, and O₂.
 22. The methodaccording to claim 17 , wherein the vaporized precursor providing stepincludes vaporization of a carbon-free solid precursor.
 23. An apparatusfor forming a high dielectric oxide film, the apparatus comprising: acontrollable atomic oxygen source; a vaporized precursor source; adeposition chamber for receiving the atomic oxygen from the atomicoxygen source and vaporized precursor from the vaporized precursorsource, the deposition chamber for locating a structure for depositionof the high dielectric oxide film on a surface thereof, the highdielectric oxide film having a dielectric constant greater than about 4;and a detection mechanism for detecting a characteristic of thedeposition of the high dielectric oxide film on the surface of thestructure, the controllable atomic oxygen source being controlled as afunction of the characteristic detected.
 24. The apparatus according toclaim 23 , wherein the controllable atomic oxygen source includes: anatomic oxygen source; and a flow controller for controlling the flow ofatomic oxygen to the deposition chamber in response to the detectedcharacteristic.
 25. The apparatus according to claim 24 , wherein theatomic oxygen source includes at least one of O₃, NO, and N₂O.
 26. Theapparatus according to claim 23 , wherein the controllable atomic oxygensource includes: an oxygen source; an oxygen plasma generation device;and a flow controller for controlling the flow of oxygen to the oxygenplasma generation device in response to the detected characteristic. 27.The apparatus according to claim 26 , wherein the oxygen source includesat least one of O₃, NO, N₂O, and O₂.
 28. The apparatus according toclaim 27 , further including means for biasing the substrate orsubstrate assembly such that ionized atomic oxygen generated using theoxygen plasma generation device is attracted to the surface of thesubstrate or substrate assembly.
 29. The apparatus according to claim 23, further including a premixer device for mixing the vaporized precursorand the atomic oxygen prior to providing the vaporized precursor and theatomic oxygen to the vaporization chamber.
 30. The apparatus accordingto claim 23 , further including a heat source for enhancingincorporation of the atomic oxygen into the high dielectric oxide film.31. The apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein the detection deviceincludes means for detecting an amount of oxygen incorporated into thehigh dielectric oxide film.
 32. The apparatus according to claim 23 ,wherein the detection device includes means for detecting an amount ofoxygen present in the deposition chamber.
 33. A high dielectric oxidefilm, comprising one of Ta₂O₅, Ba_(x)Sr_(1-x)TiO₃,Y₂O₃, TiO₂, HfO₂, PZT,PLZT, and SBT, the dielectric film being formed by depositing the highdielectric oxide film on a surface while exposing the high dielectricoxide film during formation thereof to an amount of atomic oxygensufficient for reducing oxygen vacancies therein and sufficient toeliminate a post formation oxygen anneal of the high dielectric oxidefilm.
 34. The dielectric oxide film of claim 33 , wherein the film isdeposited on an electrode of a capacitor in a semiconductor memorydevice.